Monthly Archives: October 2013

Bauneg Beg Mountain, Maine

Insects ring melodically, the afternoon mild and sunny as I sit upon ophiolite rock–a whorled, twisted mixture of shale, quartz, and volcanic bubbles. Some of the oldest rock in the world, pre-dating life on the planet, formed when Europe and North America were rubbing up against each other. I am a little wary because our resident moose is snorting in the woods behind my back and his hoof falls reverberate through the ground. He knows I am here and wants me to know he is here too. The earth message today is not to discount the seeming insignificant. The tiny winged ant crawling on the toe of my boot; every twig, leaf, the microscopic and unseen, to the moose and myself, we all have our place. We are all integral petals in the infinite lotus of creation. The moose is adding his emphasis to this message. I leave my seat for a more comfortable distance and pull down a vine growing wild nearby, loaded with concord grapes dark purple and juicy, frosted with blue. There are a dozen frogs sitting statuesque around the stone edge of my pond, soaking up the lingering warmth of this fall day. They show me their skill in staying present, of which they are masters.

grapes 2013

Ophiolite rock

Portsmouth, NH, October 2013

A city of many incarnations, Portsmouth. From Indian village and wild bank of strawberries, to simple tudor dwellings, brick colonial dwellings, and a bustling 19th century seaport with a colorful red light district. Over the centuries a home to all manners of business, from the noble endeavor to that of the pirate or worse. Rich layers of history lie here, hidden in the built-upon earth or preserved for all to see. The Piscataqua river embraces its shore, with its watery, undulating depths. Portsmouth is the city of the epicurean, the artist, the entrepreneur, and the antiquarian. It is quaint, colonial cosmopolitan mingled with the residential, the industrial, and the wharf. Quaint shops, the odd church and new polished buildings have reign of its landscape, its salt air potent and decidedly marine. An old church bell clangs sweetly among the myriad sounds of traffic and distant machinery, the clicks of peoples heels upon the sidewalks and laughter. Portsmouth’s message is that of its expression: it is a place where the vibrant and industrious thrive! A small city that (almost) never sleeps on the coast of New Hampshire, ideal for lovers and tourists.

Portsmouth, NH

Portsmouth, NH